Day 8 - Office Crashers: When I Asked for Help, I Got Much More Than I Ever Anticipated

My junior year at FDU took my college experience from good to great because of the new involvement I had on campus and new outlook on myself. The momentum kept strong going into my senior year. I had just completed a three month marketing internship at Ciao Bella Gelato (If you ever come across this, try it), landed a fall internship at a PR company, and was looking for ways to avoid senioritis. Quickly, things like my commitment to the golf team, unnecessary classes, and weak-tied relationships moved to the bottom of my priorities.

I introduced you to my friend Russ Bloodgood in yesterday's Day 7 post because of his influence in my senior year. However, his experience on his Habitat for Humanity trip didn’t hit me until around November 2005. At the time, I was the outgoing president of the Marketing Club, held a decent PR internship, and was involved in FDU’s programming committee. I felt that there was still something else out there that I wanted to accomplish.

Enter Michelle (Luff) Brisson. Michelle started working at FDU in August of 2005 as the new Assistant Director of Student Life, and took over for Ray and Nat’s vacant positions. She attended Millersville University for her undergrad and had just graduated from University of Vermont with a masters in Students Affairs. She was the new kid on the block and all of us involved on campus we’re excited for her new energy.

Several of my friends, including Courtney, warmed right up to her and quickly established a student-mentor relationship. It wasn’t until that November, when I went into Michelle’s office and told her about Russ’ Habitat for Humanity experience that we connected. Michelle’s response was nothing short of amazing.

Just like a great Student Affairs professional should be, she was thrilled about the idea.

She matched my enthusiasm and vision to bring it to FDU.

She also said things like “How can I help?” and “What do we need to do to make this work?”

From that initial meeting on, I knew I had at least one person in my corner to make a Habitat for Humanity trip launch. Every Friday until winter break, I spent 8-hour days in Michelle office (Michelle, thanks for letting me crash your office) researching sites, filling out applications, developing guidelines, creating participant applications, designing a marketing plan, building a fundraising strategy, etc. Over winter break, this is all I could think about. We returned in January and Michelle and I started right back up.

We spent countless Fridays interviewing the 30 students who applied for the first trip. Michelle successfully got buy in from our Provost with a $1,000 donation from his budget towards the trip. Once we had our team in place, we met almost every Tuesday evening until our trip. Michelle even helped us find a full-time professional staff member to chaperone the trip - Marc Cocchiola (A tremendous help and addition to the trip). When it was all said and done, we had secured a volunteer spot in Opelika, AL (right outside Auburn, AL), raised upwards of $7,000 in 6 weeks to fund the trip, and won the approval of several administrators to send a group of 15 students to Alabama for spring break.

Michelle’s work wasn’t done. Even though she couldn’t attend the trip, due to a conference she was attending, she helped us execute a banquet to thank our sponsors and bring together the 15 students and their closest friends and family. When it was all said and done, just like my friend Russ, Michelle had impacted and changed the lives of 15 college students. She helped us finish a house in Alabama for a lady named Ms. Penny the week we were there. She even influenced this group enough that it carried on two more years even after I graduated and she had taken another job.

Needless to say, Michelle has been a true friend and mentor to Courtney and I. She is the reason we both went into student affairs and want to inspire young adults. As I was trying to break into student affairs, Michelle was there to help me find my first job. She was there as a reference when I applied to work at Rutgers.

Michelle, her hard-working husband Ben, and their adorable three year old daughter Penny are still there for us today. They helped us paint our house the first weekend we moved in. They were there for us the day we had to put down our first dog Abby. They even let us borrow Ol’ Red, their 1994 red Ford-150 when we need to move things my CRV can’t fit.

How They Inspired Me:

When a student presents a new idea to me, I remember the enthusiasm that Michelle had with me. I make sure to give that kind of enthusiasm to every student that comes into my office.

What They Taught Me:

Michelle taught me to have patience and embrace every single moment a student crashes your office whether it be for 5 minutes or 8 hours. When they do that it means they like being around and look up to you - cherish it because you’re making a difference.

#NicheTip:

Ask for help. Finding your niche and following your dreams will often present you with a heavy workload. Chances are there is someone out there that would not only help you, but they would be thrilled to do so. In return, you may just find an incredible mentor and friend.

Day 6 - They Said I Was a Leader...Here's What Happened Next

I am a big believer in exposing college students to real-world experience. Throughout my college courses I was lucky enough to have two amazing professors that followed this belief: Ann Huser and Hart Singh.

I met Ann Huser my fall semester sophomore year when I enrolled in the “Principles of Marketing” class. This class opened my eyes to marketing and helped me decide to declare my major. Professor Huser worked for several large companies including General Foods (now Kraft Foods). Every class she would explain how what we were learning in our textbooks related to real-world experience.

The senior seminar class I took with her was one of the top 2 courses I enrolled in. We worked with Ciao Bella Gelato (with whom I also interned) to come up with a retail brand extension and campaign. When we had it all planned out, we then presented it to their Director of Marketing and Director of Sales. We learned about Ciao Bella’s competitors by visiting high end stores like Whole Foods, analyzed current market share data, and she taught us how to create a report the same way she created reports for Jell-o.

Professor Huser wasn’t just a teacher though. She became our advisor as the five of us (Mike, Sarah, Krystal, Kathryn and I) started the Marketing Mix - FDU’s first ever marketing club. We planned monthly speaking and networking events, recruited members, and wrote our own constitution. During my sophomore year, I was comfortable being a founding member and doing what was asked of me.

However, after my conversation with Ray, Nat and Sarah about my leadership potential, I had a whole new outlook on this club and my ability. Since our club was just established a little over a year earlier, several of our e-board members concluded that our current President would remain President and we would not hold elections. As an e-board member with a whole new outlook on how we could make this club even better, I couldn’t let this happen.

Instead of sending a very frustrated email to Professor Huser at 12am, I slept on it and emailed her that morning asking her to call me. That decision alone, impacted the next 6 months of my life. I discussed with her over the phone the ideas I had for the club, my leadership ability to get us there, and how we need to give other members (including myself) a chance to run for President. To this day, I know that if I emailed her rather than calmly and professionally talked to her on the phone I wouldn’t have had the same outcome. Long story, short, she agreed, organized a proper election for all e-board positions and I started my “campaigning.” Needless to say, I gave one of the best speeches of my life and became the first officially elected President for the Marketing Mix.

The second step towards student leadership was taken.

My other professor, Hart Singh, taught in the Entrepreneurship program. He was a successful entrepreneur himself creating innovative software solutions for Intuit, Quickbooks, and launching new technologies to help municipal government. Every class he ran felt like a start-up.

However, I remember the first day of his class senior year: the room was filled 15-20 seniors in the business program. Professor Singh’s aggressive syllabus and required readings alone scared off 2-3 students. He had high expectations of his students: create a business model,  write and present a thorough business plan, and keep up with the weekly readings and writings. Sure enough another 3-5 students dropped out. I am so glad I decided to stay in his class because I still go back to the things he taught us everyday.

• He helped us create working cash flow models in excel (that I still use today)
• Critiqued our business plans with a fine tooth-comb.
• Stopped us in the middle of our presentations and made us start over if we used a filler, were unsure of ourselves or lost the audience.

Given the new leadership skills I was learning, and my new outlook on life, this class resonated with me on a much different level. I saw myself as a leader now, so I could envision myself as an entrepreneur one day. That’s the beauty of college. The work we do outside the classroom sets our students up for success inside the classroom.

How they inspired me:

If it wasn’t for both Professor Huser and Professor Singh I wouldn’t have grown to love marketing and entrepreneurship. Even though I didn’t go the traditional corporate marketing route, the skills I learned in their classes have been utilized every day.

What they taught me:

They taught me to challenge the expectations that people set for me, and always try to push beyond them. They also taught me how to set ambitious expectations for myself and gave me the tools to reach them as long as I am willing to put in the work.

#Nichetip:

1. If you’re passionate like me, there will be days when you want to fire off that email out of frustration. That’s ok! But, if you have something meaningful to say, hold off on sending an email. Pick up the phone or better yet, meet with the person face to face. You’ll be surprised by how positive the outcome can be.

2. When the bar has been set high, hustle. Work hard to set the bar even higher for the next person.

Day 4 - Let Your Talents Do the Talking

As I mentioned in my Day 1 post, in my senior year of high school my parents provided me with an experience of a lifetime. They sent me on a week-long golf trip to Wales and England with my high school golf team.

Who was responsible for setting up this amazing trip?

The one and only legend: Mr. Mike Harris.

I’m not sure how long ago this trip started, but I know my good friend Russ Bloodgood went to Scotland his freshman year. See, Mr. Harris created a week-long exchange program with high school golf teams from the U.K. with his friend Mr. Reese who lived in England. Not only were these trips a great sightseeing and golf experience, but it prepared us for the upcoming spring golf season. Needless to say, we found out the hard way that those UK boys can play – and I mean play, in any conditions.

Now, Mr. Harris isn’t one of my influencers for the sole reason he coordinated one of the sweetest trips of my life, that’s obvious. Even though I didn’t have him as a teacher, he taught me a ton on and off the golf course. In 1999, my freshmen year, I tried out for the golf team and didn’t make it. It was the first time I took golf seriously outside of playing with my dad on the weekends, and not making the team was the best thing that ever happened to me. Coming up short fueled me to get better and better. I hit thousands of balls that year and made JV my sophomore year. I still wasn’t a rock star, but Mr. Harris believed in me. He gave me chances and knew I could grind any round out.  That continued to push me to get better and make varsity my junior year.

Our senior year, we had an amazing line-up of golfers (Russ, JC, Keith, Tamara, and more)  that went 17-1, set several high school records, and became our county champions. The one thing that Mr. Harris taught myself and the rest of us, was to go about our business day by day and not get too confident. Even though I believe we deserved more recognition, he told us to let our scores on the golf course do the talking.

He also taught us to take care of those around you – family, friends, and new/old relationships. See, Mr. Harris was also the caddy master at Crystal Spring Golf Resort where I worked off an on through high school and college. Most of the time when he called and needed a large amount of caddies for an outing I would come help. I never expected this, but he always made sure I got paired with an A group. Let’s just say that I’ve caddied for a famous basketball player from the 70’s and a comedian from the late 90’s. Today, Mr. Harris is still a Social Studies teacher and golf coach to the men’s and women’s golf team at Wallkill Valley High School.

How they inspired me:

The three years I played golf on Mr. Harris’ team, is a time in my life I wish I could go back to everyday. He gave me several chances to prove myself, and in turn, improve my golf game. If it wasn’t for his leadership, I would have not fallen in love with this game like I have. I went on to play at FDU all 4 years and I still play at least once a week. For me, golf is a great stress reliever and some of my best ideas come while I walk the course.

What they taught me:

Mr. Harris taught me to be humble, let your talents do the talking, and take care of those around you.

#Nichetip:

Work hard at what you are passionate about and when you are given a chance, take it.

Here is a slideshow my father put together of all the pictures from our Wales golf tirp.

Day 3 - Best Man or Better Man

“A lot of women grow up with the dream of getting married and having a child. I think Courtney hit the jackpot, because she is getting married to a child.”

This is the way John Giannone started out his best man speech at my wedding in May 2010. See, John is that guy who is a child at heart, will bring laughter to any room, and can hold a conversation with the best of them. And, he likes to give his closest friends and family a bunch of shit (I mean that in the nicest way possible).

John Giannone (the best man) is great with family members and new friends, and creating genuine conversations. Years later, he still remembers all of our FDU & Rutgers friends and he has the personality where he can join into any group setting.

John Giannone (the business man) is intellectual, hard working, and smarter than I’ll ever be. He’s great with numbers, contracts, and relationship building.

Believe it or not, John and I go all the way back before pre-school where we both attended the same reading hour at Franklin Library. However, our friendship didn’t start there. About 7 to 8 years later, I was put on the Cardinals (Coach B’s) little league team with John. At that point, we became teammates. We attended separate grammar schools and didn’t start becoming friends until freshman year of high school. We played soccer, basketball and baseball together, and started to hang out with the same group of guys who we still hang out with to this day (Russ, Garry, Dave, and Scott).

So, why am I writing about one of my best friends? Not to get all mushy here, but there are a lot of traits I admire about John and he also indirectly played a huge role in my starting of the Niche Movement.

I see John as having a perfect balance of book smarts and street smarts. He holds a Mechanical Engineering degree from Rutgers University where he was president of his fraternity (Phi Tau) and recently earn an MBA at NYU’s Stern Business School while working full time. At the same time, he can think quick on his feet to offer the perfect punch line to any joke. All his joking aside, he truly cares about the people around him and the people he meets.

So how did John help influence the Niche Movement?

He was lucky enough to meet an amazing woman two years ago, now girlfriend, Benee Williams (also a Scarlet Knight alum). Courtney and I now are lucky to call her one of our friends as well, but she’s more than that. In October 2012 after a Rutgers football game, we all came back to our house where we sat around a fire pit. Everyone was in some way complaining about money and their job unfortunately. At that point, I spoke up and said “I love my job and get to make a difference in young adult’s lives everyday.”

After continuing on and on while some of our friends still didn't get what I did, I explained how my passion lies in not only helping college students thrive while they are in school, but thrive in their twenties after graduation. I hated seeing talented, hard-working and deserving students lives come to a screeching halt after graduation. It could be a boss they hated, or a work environment that didn’t “click.” Maybe it was a side project they put off, or a graduate program that they weren’t in to. And they didn’t know what to do. They were stuck.

That is when Benee exclaimed, “Kevin, you’re trying to help them find their niche!” And that is when the light bulb went off. The next morning I couldn’t stop thinking about what she said as I wrote and brainstormed. That Sunday evening, I purchased the domain TheNicheMovement.com. The rest, as they say, is history.

How they inspired me:

You know that saying “Surround yourself with great people…” well I am lucky to have John and Benee as close friends. John is one of the very few that I will bounce ideas of off, accomplishments, or new ventures in this journey with the Niche Movement and he never questions it by saying things like “what if.” He always responds with “That’s awesome, man. Let me know how I can help.” That is how they inspire me. To know that I have a huge support system to dive into the unknown.

What they taught me:

To live in the moment, relax and have fun.

#Nichetip

An idea or project you are working on can come together when you least expect it. Don’t be afraid to share your passion with others around you, you never know who will help you go onto the the next step.

Oh, by the way, here is what you’ve all been waiting for: Intro to John’s best man speech

Day 2 - Pushing Your Comfort Zone

I remember it like it was yesterday. We were half way through our Spring semester - sophomore year and Courtney suggested I apply to become an orientation leader (she, of course, had already applied). At this time, we knew each other for a year and a half and only held the title of “boyfriend and girlfriend” for maybe 5 months.

My first reaction to her suggestion, “Oh, she just wants me to apply so we don’t have to be apart for the summer.” I still to this day believe that, but she had the inkling that a) I was qualified, b) it would change me for the better, and c) I would be a great role model for Fairleigh Dickinson’s incoming students. Well, I hate to admit it, but she was right.

Needless to say, Courtney, myself and 16 others (Ruben Henao, Dina Deleasa, Mike Sorbino, Michelle Rodriguez to name a few) went on to become FDU’s 2004 Orientation Leaders and boy, was it a summer that changed my life for the better. You’ll meet Ray, Nat, and Sarah later on in my #HowIFoundMyNiche series, but these group of individuals have had a huge impact on where I am today. Needless to say, applying and accepting to be an orientation leader is one of top 5 “leap of faith's” I have taken.

Anyway, back to Courtney. See, after 13 years (4 years of marriage) she still knows what's good for me even if I don’t see it. She knows how to motivate me, kick my ass when I need it, and pick me back up when I’m at the bottom. (Thank you for that.) Her work ethic has always amazed me and scared me at the same time. When she finds something she is passionate about, she goes all in and will do whatever it takes to get it done. And that’s what I love about being able to spend the rest of my life with her.

It’s like that Nascar drafting theory - the more ambitious either of us are, we always find a way to keep up, tailing right behind one another. When I see Courtney’s hard work pay off, I see the value of the hustle I’ve been putting in and know it will all be worth it sooner or later.

For those of you reading this that know Courtney, then you know the head she has on her shoulders. For those of you that don’t, then I suggest you connect with her ASAP. She has an uncanny ability to put others ahead of herself and go the extra mile.

I’m fortunate to have someone like her to bounce ideas off of and receive her help when I ask (and especially when I don’t ask).

How they inspired me:

If it’s not clear from the above, Courtney has made a huge impact on me. She provides light at the end of the tunnel, helps me solve a lot of problems in work and life, and always helps me see the optimistic side of things.

What they taught me:

Lately, Courtney has taught me I need to find the silver lining and be the most positive and proactive version of myself.

Overall, she has taught me not to give up on my dreams, big or small.

#Nichetip

What I’d like you to take away:

1. If someone you trust and that knows you well suggests you try something new or put yourself out there, listen to them and do it. Take that leap of faith. Push your comfort zone.

2. When you find that person you can be in the fox hole with day in and day out, don’t let them go and work hard as hell to keep them in your life.